CHURCH
LUTHERAN
Our Savior's of Elderon
5th Sunday of Lent (16) INI Phil. 3:12-21
Do you realize that the most important thing for you and for me is that in the end we are in heaven, finally and forever? In the end, isn’t that what really matters to all of us?
Throughout the Bible God gives us the promise of heaven. It has been gained for us by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It has been given to us through faith the Holy Spirit works in our hearts through Word and Sacrament. He brings us to faith through these means, strengthens and keeps us in our faith through these means.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit you and I want to be able to say with the apostle Paul; “I know what I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” (2 Tim. 1:2)
Through faith you and I can be confident and happy. We can rejoice because we have the assurance that once life in this world is over, heaven is waiting for us.
Unfortunately, there is also a danger that comes with this knowledge and assurance. Since we know heaven is waiting for us it’s easy for us to become careless and take our salvation for granted. To avoid that trap we need to keep growing in that certainty. God knows that! And that’s why through our text for today he gives us an example to follow.
He is telling us that through the power of the Holy Spirit we need to do those things which will enhance and exercise our faith. And that we need to avoid those things which will endanger our faith and cause us to lose the assurance that heaven is our home.
That’s the reason God, through the apostle Paul, gives us some very important do’s and don’ts. With hearts filled with joy because of the life we have in Jesus we, like Paul, “Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Jesus Christ.”
So today let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will continually lead us to be
ALWAYS STRIVING HEAVENWARD
As Christians we ought to be striving heavenward every day. Our daily activities should be pushing us onward to the goal and prize of heaven.
First, let’s look at the goal. Paul compares it to that of a Greek runner in an athletic contest. The goal and prize were the most important things and certainly were on the mind of the runner.
So it ought to be for you and me. Paul writes; “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward.”
As Christians we strive to live in Christ’s victory over sin and death and to reach our final goal which is heaven. So the prize, then, is living in God’s presence in heaven forevermore. It’s having the privilege and joy of serving him and praising him for all eternity.
Now God gives us some do’s and don’ts for our daily life. First, don’t be complacent. Paul writes under divine inspiration; “Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect…Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”
No, while we are here on earth we don’t actually have heaven yet, not in the sense we are actually there. Yet, we know that since we are believers in Christ, that is where we are going when our bodies die and our souls leave the body. It’s like eternal life! We have it right now, right this minute. But yet we haven’t been made perfect yet, we haven’t come to that perfect life.
The point is, you and I need to be careful that we don’t get careless. In other words, we don’t have it made yet. Don’t think you’ve got it made because you believe in Christ as your Savior right now or because you were baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church.
You may know the Bible well. You may know all the facts about Jesus; that he’s God’s Son, that he suffered and died as punishment for your sins and the sins of all people. You may know that God forgives the sins of those who believe in him and that he gives them eternal life. You may know all these things and more.
But, even though you know all these facts, even though you have all this knowledge, even though you agree that all these facts are correct, that alone will not save you. Jesus himself tells us that on the last day there will be lots of people on his left who will say; “But Lord, we knew all about you.”
Now, I am not saying that this knowledge of Christ isn’t important, it’s very important. But, it’s not enough. There must be a living, active faith in Jesus.
I am very concerned about my faith. I pray that you are all very concerned as to whether your faith is genuine, whether or not you really and truly trust in the promises God gives us in the Bible. Promises such as; “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.” I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”
There is still one more verse I’d like to point out. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Ro. 10:9
We strive heavenward when through the power of the Holy Spirit we confess our sins. We need to be doing every day because we sin each and every day, many times a day.
We also need to renew our faith in the Savior and our determination to live our lives to his glory every day. We can do these things by faithfully reading the Bible every day, by using God’s Word faithfully. It is through the study of God’s Word that the Holy Spirit comes to us to create, strengthen and sustain faith. That in turn will enable us to better strive heavenward.
In our striving heavenward we’ll also want to come to the Lord’s Supper on a regular bases and to turn to the Lord in prayer often. We will want to live a life of prayer. Pray that the Holy Spirit not only keeps your faith alive, but also increase it so you don’t become complacent in your faith.
Always keep you mind on the goal and prize as Paul writes; “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Once again the runner in the race is set before us. He must constantly keep the goal and prize before him. Since he wants to reach that goal and win that prize he must keep thinking to himself, “I want the prize. That means I have to give every effort, strive my hardest, draw every bit of strength from my body that I can, keep running harder and harder to reach the goal.”
Just as the runner in a race must keep his eye and mind on that race so it is with you and me as we strive to reach the goal of heaven. We need to be careful we don’t put our focus on worldly things but on God’s Word and heaven. We must focus on the fact we are saved by grace through faith.
The runner in a race can’t be looking at the scenery along the track. He mustn’t be distracted by people or things along the way. If he wants the prize, he must keep running hard toward the right goal. So also we need to be careful so we don’t get distracted from striving heavenward.
Many times Christians get distracted by focusing on things in the Bible that cannot be explained. Granted there are things in the Bible we won’t fully understand until we get to heaven. However, understanding those things is not essential to our faith. The Scriptures are very clear regarding all things we need to know for our salvation.
And so instead of wondering and worrying about things we don’t understand we should be asking what the Bible says about itself, about God, our salvation through Christ and our preservation.
What does the Bible say about the 2 natures of Christ, his humiliation, his exaltation, his conception, virgin birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and sitting at the right hand of God the Father. What does it say about his rule over all things, his abiding presence and his return on the last day?
What does the Bible say about the Holy Christian church and your place in it? What does it say about your life, about prayer and how to be more faithful in prayer? What about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and what it means to you?
How about really getting into those things? How about really knowing those things and living them? These are the central teachings of the Bible that our faith rests on. Don’t get distracted from them or from your Savior by non-essentials.
Let’s also be careful we don’t lose ground. “Let us live up to what we’ve already attained,” Paul wrote. The runner in a race has to be very careful that he doesn’t slip and fall or he’ll lose the prize. So also you and I need to be careful we don’t lose ground in our growth in faith.
We lose ground when we focus on our sins and find joy in them; when we’re focused on the sins of the past or those we’re presently involved in. We need to repent of all of our sins and then put them behind us once and for all. God doesn’t want us to dwell on them.
Instead, we’ll want to focus on growing in our spirituality. Through the power of the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word and Sacraments you and I can grow in our relationship with Christ. That way we won’t lose ground as we strive heavenward.
Next Paul urges us to follow the example of Godly Christians. “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”
Many Christians lose out because they get the attitude that says; “I’m as good a Christian as anyone else.” The focus on comparing themselves to others, instead of focusing on their faith. But, instead of doing this we ought to be saying to ourselves, “I want to be like the most faithful of God’s saints in the Scriptures.”
Look at the people the Bible says are examples of great faith. Imitate their faithfulness in worship, in prayer and in their witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul also gives us a warning of examples not to follow. “As I have often told you before and now say again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.”
Here Paul is talking about people who once were Christians and who thought they still were. Apparently, their saving faith had become mere head knowledge at the very most. Now they were enemies of the cross of Christ and didn’t even know it.
The warning for you and I is don’t follow their example even though it may be very tempting to do so. Their glory isn’t in what God wants, instead it’s in their shame, their sinful actions, their sinful living. Their minds are focused on the here and now. Paul says they can’t win the prize because their destiny is destruction.
Always remember, heaven is your home. Our citizenship is in heaven, the Bible says. Earth isn’t our permanent home. We are just strangers passing through. That’s why we eagerly look forward to reach the goal and receive the prize of eternal life in heaven.
Remember that no matter who you are, no matter how many and how terrible your sins are God forgives you for Jesus sake. Believe that with all your heart. Jesus is the One who has rescued you and I from sin, death and the devil. He is the One who opened the door to heaven for us. He is the one who will hand us the prize. That’s why he says; “Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life. Amen.
5th Sunday of Lent (16) INI Phil. 3:12-21
Do you realize that the most important thing for you and for me is that in the end we are in heaven, finally and forever? In the end, isn’t that what really matters to all of us?
Throughout the Bible God gives us the promise of heaven. It has been gained for us by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It has been given to us through faith the Holy Spirit works in our hearts through Word and Sacrament. He brings us to faith through these means, strengthens and keeps us in our faith through these means.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit you and I want to be able to say with the apostle Paul; “I know what I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” (2 Tim. 1:2)
Through faith you and I can be confident and happy. We can rejoice because we have the assurance that once life in this world is over, heaven is waiting for us.
Unfortunately, there is also a danger that comes with this knowledge and assurance. Since we know heaven is waiting for us it’s easy for us to become careless and take our salvation for granted. To avoid that trap we need to keep growing in that certainty. God knows that! And that’s why through our text for today he gives us an example to follow.
He is telling us that through the power of the Holy Spirit we need to do those things which will enhance and exercise our faith. And that we need to avoid those things which will endanger our faith and cause us to lose the assurance that heaven is our home.
That’s the reason God, through the apostle Paul, gives us some very important do’s and don’ts. With hearts filled with joy because of the life we have in Jesus we, like Paul, “Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Jesus Christ.”
So today let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will continually lead us to be
ALWAYS STRIVING HEAVENWARD
As Christians we ought to be striving heavenward every day. Our daily activities should be pushing us onward to the goal and prize of heaven.
First, let’s look at the goal. Paul compares it to that of a Greek runner in an athletic contest. The goal and prize were the most important things and certainly were on the mind of the runner.
So it ought to be for you and me. Paul writes; “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward.”
As Christians we strive to live in Christ’s victory over sin and death and to reach our final goal which is heaven. So the prize, then, is living in God’s presence in heaven forevermore. It’s having the privilege and joy of serving him and praising him for all eternity.
Now God gives us some do’s and don’ts for our daily life. First, don’t be complacent. Paul writes under divine inspiration; “Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect…Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”
No, while we are here on earth we don’t actually have heaven yet, not in the sense we are actually there. Yet, we know that since we are believers in Christ, that is where we are going when our bodies die and our souls leave the body. It’s like eternal life! We have it right now, right this minute. But yet we haven’t been made perfect yet, we haven’t come to that perfect life.
The point is, you and I need to be careful that we don’t get careless. In other words, we don’t have it made yet. Don’t think you’ve got it made because you believe in Christ as your Savior right now or because you were baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church.
You may know the Bible well. You may know all the facts about Jesus; that he’s God’s Son, that he suffered and died as punishment for your sins and the sins of all people. You may know that God forgives the sins of those who believe in him and that he gives them eternal life. You may know all these things and more.
But, even though you know all these facts, even though you have all this knowledge, even though you agree that all these facts are correct, that alone will not save you. Jesus himself tells us that on the last day there will be lots of people on his left who will say; “But Lord, we knew all about you.”
Now, I am not saying that this knowledge of Christ isn’t important, it’s very important. But, it’s not enough. There must be a living, active faith in Jesus.
I am very concerned about my faith. I pray that you are all very concerned as to whether your faith is genuine, whether or not you really and truly trust in the promises God gives us in the Bible. Promises such as; “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.” I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”
There is still one more verse I’d like to point out. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Ro. 10:9
We strive heavenward when through the power of the Holy Spirit we confess our sins. We need to be doing every day because we sin each and every day, many times a day.
We also need to renew our faith in the Savior and our determination to live our lives to his glory every day. We can do these things by faithfully reading the Bible every day, by using God’s Word faithfully. It is through the study of God’s Word that the Holy Spirit comes to us to create, strengthen and sustain faith. That in turn will enable us to better strive heavenward.
In our striving heavenward we’ll also want to come to the Lord’s Supper on a regular bases and to turn to the Lord in prayer often. We will want to live a life of prayer. Pray that the Holy Spirit not only keeps your faith alive, but also increase it so you don’t become complacent in your faith.
Always keep you mind on the goal and prize as Paul writes; “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Once again the runner in the race is set before us. He must constantly keep the goal and prize before him. Since he wants to reach that goal and win that prize he must keep thinking to himself, “I want the prize. That means I have to give every effort, strive my hardest, draw every bit of strength from my body that I can, keep running harder and harder to reach the goal.”
Just as the runner in a race must keep his eye and mind on that race so it is with you and me as we strive to reach the goal of heaven. We need to be careful we don’t put our focus on worldly things but on God’s Word and heaven. We must focus on the fact we are saved by grace through faith.
The runner in a race can’t be looking at the scenery along the track. He mustn’t be distracted by people or things along the way. If he wants the prize, he must keep running hard toward the right goal. So also we need to be careful so we don’t get distracted from striving heavenward.
Many times Christians get distracted by focusing on things in the Bible that cannot be explained. Granted there are things in the Bible we won’t fully understand until we get to heaven. However, understanding those things is not essential to our faith. The Scriptures are very clear regarding all things we need to know for our salvation.
And so instead of wondering and worrying about things we don’t understand we should be asking what the Bible says about itself, about God, our salvation through Christ and our preservation.
What does the Bible say about the 2 natures of Christ, his humiliation, his exaltation, his conception, virgin birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and sitting at the right hand of God the Father. What does it say about his rule over all things, his abiding presence and his return on the last day?
What does the Bible say about the Holy Christian church and your place in it? What does it say about your life, about prayer and how to be more faithful in prayer? What about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and what it means to you?
How about really getting into those things? How about really knowing those things and living them? These are the central teachings of the Bible that our faith rests on. Don’t get distracted from them or from your Savior by non-essentials.
Let’s also be careful we don’t lose ground. “Let us live up to what we’ve already attained,” Paul wrote. The runner in a race has to be very careful that he doesn’t slip and fall or he’ll lose the prize. So also you and I need to be careful we don’t lose ground in our growth in faith.
We lose ground when we focus on our sins and find joy in them; when we’re focused on the sins of the past or those we’re presently involved in. We need to repent of all of our sins and then put them behind us once and for all. God doesn’t want us to dwell on them.
Instead, we’ll want to focus on growing in our spirituality. Through the power of the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word and Sacraments you and I can grow in our relationship with Christ. That way we won’t lose ground as we strive heavenward.
Next Paul urges us to follow the example of Godly Christians. “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”
Many Christians lose out because they get the attitude that says; “I’m as good a Christian as anyone else.” The focus on comparing themselves to others, instead of focusing on their faith. But, instead of doing this we ought to be saying to ourselves, “I want to be like the most faithful of God’s saints in the Scriptures.”
Look at the people the Bible says are examples of great faith. Imitate their faithfulness in worship, in prayer and in their witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul also gives us a warning of examples not to follow. “As I have often told you before and now say again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.”
Here Paul is talking about people who once were Christians and who thought they still were. Apparently, their saving faith had become mere head knowledge at the very most. Now they were enemies of the cross of Christ and didn’t even know it.
The warning for you and I is don’t follow their example even though it may be very tempting to do so. Their glory isn’t in what God wants, instead it’s in their shame, their sinful actions, their sinful living. Their minds are focused on the here and now. Paul says they can’t win the prize because their destiny is destruction.
Always remember, heaven is your home. Our citizenship is in heaven, the Bible says. Earth isn’t our permanent home. We are just strangers passing through. That’s why we eagerly look forward to reach the goal and receive the prize of eternal life in heaven.
Remember that no matter who you are, no matter how many and how terrible your sins are God forgives you for Jesus sake. Believe that with all your heart. Jesus is the One who has rescued you and I from sin, death and the devil. He is the One who opened the door to heaven for us. He is the one who will hand us the prize. That’s why he says; “Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life. Amen.
5th Sunday of Lent (16) INI Phil. 3:12-21
Do you realize that the most important thing for you and for me is that in the end we are in heaven, finally and forever? In the end, isn’t that what really matters to all of us?
Throughout the Bible God gives us the promise of heaven. It has been gained for us by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It has been given to us through faith the Holy Spirit works in our hearts through Word and Sacrament. He brings us to faith through these means, strengthens and keeps us in our faith through these means.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit you and I want to be able to say with the apostle Paul; “I know what I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” (2 Tim. 1:2)
Through faith you and I can be confident and happy. We can rejoice because we have the assurance that once life in this world is over, heaven is waiting for us.
Unfortunately, there is also a danger that comes with this knowledge and assurance. Since we know heaven is waiting for us it’s easy for us to become careless and take our salvation for granted. To avoid that trap we need to keep growing in that certainty. God knows that! And that’s why through our text for today he gives us an example to follow.
He is telling us that through the power of the Holy Spirit we need to do those things which will enhance and exercise our faith. And that we need to avoid those things which will endanger our faith and cause us to lose the assurance that heaven is our home.
That’s the reason God, through the apostle Paul, gives us some very important do’s and don’ts. With hearts filled with joy because of the life we have in Jesus we, like Paul, “Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Jesus Christ.”
So today let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will continually lead us to be
ALWAYS STRIVING HEAVENWARD
As Christians we ought to be striving heavenward every day. Our daily activities should be pushing us onward to the goal and prize of heaven.
First, let’s look at the goal. Paul compares it to that of a Greek runner in an athletic contest. The goal and prize were the most important things and certainly were on the mind of the runner.
So it ought to be for you and me. Paul writes; “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward.”
As Christians we strive to live in Christ’s victory over sin and death and to reach our final goal which is heaven. So the prize, then, is living in God’s presence in heaven forevermore. It’s having the privilege and joy of serving him and praising him for all eternity.
Now God gives us some do’s and don’ts for our daily life. First, don’t be complacent. Paul writes under divine inspiration; “Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect…Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”
No, while we are here on earth we don’t actually have heaven yet, not in the sense we are actually there. Yet, we know that since we are believers in Christ, that is where we are going when our bodies die and our souls leave the body. It’s like eternal life! We have it right now, right this minute. But yet we haven’t been made perfect yet, we haven’t come to that perfect life.
The point is, you and I need to be careful that we don’t get careless. In other words, we don’t have it made yet. Don’t think you’ve got it made because you believe in Christ as your Savior right now or because you were baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church.
You may know the Bible well. You may know all the facts about Jesus; that he’s God’s Son, that he suffered and died as punishment for your sins and the sins of all people. You may know that God forgives the sins of those who believe in him and that he gives them eternal life. You may know all these things and more.
But, even though you know all these facts, even though you have all this knowledge, even though you agree that all these facts are correct, that alone will not save you. Jesus himself tells us that on the last day there will be lots of people on his left who will say; “But Lord, we knew all about you.”
Now, I am not saying that this knowledge of Christ isn’t important, it’s very important. But, it’s not enough. There must be a living, active faith in Jesus.
I am very concerned about my faith. I pray that you are all very concerned as to whether your faith is genuine, whether or not you really and truly trust in the promises God gives us in the Bible. Promises such as; “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.” I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”
There is still one more verse I’d like to point out. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Ro. 10:9
We strive heavenward when through the power of the Holy Spirit we confess our sins. We need to be doing every day because we sin each and every day, many times a day.
We also need to renew our faith in the Savior and our determination to live our lives to his glory every day. We can do these things by faithfully reading the Bible every day, by using God’s Word faithfully. It is through the study of God’s Word that the Holy Spirit comes to us to create, strengthen and sustain faith. That in turn will enable us to better strive heavenward.
In our striving heavenward we’ll also want to come to the Lord’s Supper on a regular bases and to turn to the Lord in prayer often. We will want to live a life of prayer. Pray that the Holy Spirit not only keeps your faith alive, but also increase it so you don’t become complacent in your faith.
Always keep you mind on the goal and prize as Paul writes; “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Once again the runner in the race is set before us. He must constantly keep the goal and prize before him. Since he wants to reach that goal and win that prize he must keep thinking to himself, “I want the prize. That means I have to give every effort, strive my hardest, draw every bit of strength from my body that I can, keep running harder and harder to reach the goal.”
Just as the runner in a race must keep his eye and mind on that race so it is with you and me as we strive to reach the goal of heaven. We need to be careful we don’t put our focus on worldly things but on God’s Word and heaven. We must focus on the fact we are saved by grace through faith.
The runner in a race can’t be looking at the scenery along the track. He mustn’t be distracted by people or things along the way. If he wants the prize, he must keep running hard toward the right goal. So also we need to be careful so we don’t get distracted from striving heavenward.
Many times Christians get distracted by focusing on things in the Bible that cannot be explained. Granted there are things in the Bible we won’t fully understand until we get to heaven. However, understanding those things is not essential to our faith. The Scriptures are very clear regarding all things we need to know for our salvation.
And so instead of wondering and worrying about things we don’t understand we should be asking what the Bible says about itself, about God, our salvation through Christ and our preservation.
What does the Bible say about the 2 natures of Christ, his humiliation, his exaltation, his conception, virgin birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and sitting at the right hand of God the Father. What does it say about his rule over all things, his abiding presence and his return on the last day?
What does the Bible say about the Holy Christian church and your place in it? What does it say about your life, about prayer and how to be more faithful in prayer? What about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and what it means to you?
How about really getting into those things? How about really knowing those things and living them? These are the central teachings of the Bible that our faith rests on. Don’t get distracted from them or from your Savior by non-essentials.
Let’s also be careful we don’t lose ground. “Let us live up to what we’ve already attained,” Paul wrote. The runner in a race has to be very careful that he doesn’t slip and fall or he’ll lose the prize. So also you and I need to be careful we don’t lose ground in our growth in faith.
We lose ground when we focus on our sins and find joy in them; when we’re focused on the sins of the past or those we’re presently involved in. We need to repent of all of our sins and then put them behind us once and for all. God doesn’t want us to dwell on them.
Instead, we’ll want to focus on growing in our spirituality. Through the power of the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word and Sacraments you and I can grow in our relationship with Christ. That way we won’t lose ground as we strive heavenward.
Next Paul urges us to follow the example of Godly Christians. “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”
Many Christians lose out because they get the attitude that says; “I’m as good a Christian as anyone else.” The focus on comparing themselves to others, instead of focusing on their faith. But, instead of doing this we ought to be saying to ourselves, “I want to be like the most faithful of God’s saints in the Scriptures.”
Look at the people the Bible says are examples of great faith. Imitate their faithfulness in worship, in prayer and in their witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul also gives us a warning of examples not to follow. “As I have often told you before and now say again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.”
Here Paul is talking about people who once were Christians and who thought they still were. Apparently, their saving faith had become mere head knowledge at the very most. Now they were enemies of the cross of Christ and didn’t even know it.
The warning for you and I is don’t follow their example even though it may be very tempting to do so. Their glory isn’t in what God wants, instead it’s in their shame, their sinful actions, their sinful living. Their minds are focused on the here and now. Paul says they can’t win the prize because their destiny is destruction.
Always remember, heaven is your home. Our citizenship is in heaven, the Bible says. Earth isn’t our permanent home. We are just strangers passing through. That’s why we eagerly look forward to reach the goal and receive the prize of eternal life in heaven.
Remember that no matter who you are, no matter how many and how terrible your sins are God forgives you for Jesus sake. Believe that with all your heart. Jesus is the One who has rescued you and I from sin, death and the devil. He is the One who opened the door to heaven for us. He is the one who will hand us the prize. That’s why he says; “Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life. Amen.
5th Sunday of Lent (16) INI Phil. 3:12-21
Do you realize that the most important thing for you and for me is that in the end we are in heaven, finally and forever? In the end, isn’t that what really matters to all of us?
Throughout the Bible God gives us the promise of heaven. It has been gained for us by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It has been given to us through faith the Holy Spirit works in our hearts through Word and Sacrament. He brings us to faith through these means, strengthens and keeps us in our faith through these means.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit you and I want to be able to say with the apostle Paul; “I know what I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” (2 Tim. 1:2)
Through faith you and I can be confident and happy. We can rejoice because we have the assurance that once life in this world is over, heaven is waiting for us.
Unfortunately, there is also a danger that comes with this knowledge and assurance. Since we know heaven is waiting for us it’s easy for us to become careless and take our salvation for granted. To avoid that trap we need to keep growing in that certainty. God knows that! And that’s why through our text for today he gives us an example to follow.
He is telling us that through the power of the Holy Spirit we need to do those things which will enhance and exercise our faith. And that we need to avoid those things which will endanger our faith and cause us to lose the assurance that heaven is our home.
That’s the reason God, through the apostle Paul, gives us some very important do’s and don’ts. With hearts filled with joy because of the life we have in Jesus we, like Paul, “Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Jesus Christ.”
So today let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will continually lead us to be
ALWAYS STRIVING HEAVENWARD
As Christians we ought to be striving heavenward every day. Our daily activities should be pushing us onward to the goal and prize of heaven.
First, let’s look at the goal. Paul compares it to that of a Greek runner in an athletic contest. The goal and prize were the most important things and certainly were on the mind of the runner.
So it ought to be for you and me. Paul writes; “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward.”
As Christians we strive to live in Christ’s victory over sin and death and to reach our final goal which is heaven. So the prize, then, is living in God’s presence in heaven forevermore. It’s having the privilege and joy of serving him and praising him for all eternity.
Now God gives us some do’s and don’ts for our daily life. First, don’t be complacent. Paul writes under divine inspiration; “Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect…Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”
No, while we are here on earth we don’t actually have heaven yet, not in the sense we are actually there. Yet, we know that since we are believers in Christ, that is where we are going when our bodies die and our souls leave the body. It’s like eternal life! We have it right now, right this minute. But yet we haven’t been made perfect yet, we haven’t come to that perfect life.
The point is, you and I need to be careful that we don’t get careless. In other words, we don’t have it made yet. Don’t think you’ve got it made because you believe in Christ as your Savior right now or because you were baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church.
You may know the Bible well. You may know all the facts about Jesus; that he’s God’s Son, that he suffered and died as punishment for your sins and the sins of all people. You may know that God forgives the sins of those who believe in him and that he gives them eternal life. You may know all these things and more.
But, even though you know all these facts, even though you have all this knowledge, even though you agree that all these facts are correct, that alone will not save you. Jesus himself tells us that on the last day there will be lots of people on his left who will say; “But Lord, we knew all about you.”
Now, I am not saying that this knowledge of Christ isn’t important, it’s very important. But, it’s not enough. There must be a living, active faith in Jesus.
I am very concerned about my faith. I pray that you are all very concerned as to whether your faith is genuine, whether or not you really and truly trust in the promises God gives us in the Bible. Promises such as; “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.” I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”
There is still one more verse I’d like to point out. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Ro. 10:9
We strive heavenward when through the power of the Holy Spirit we confess our sins. We need to be doing every day because we sin each and every day, many times a day.
We also need to renew our faith in the Savior and our determination to live our lives to his glory every day. We can do these things by faithfully reading the Bible every day, by using God’s Word faithfully. It is through the study of God’s Word that the Holy Spirit comes to us to create, strengthen and sustain faith. That in turn will enable us to better strive heavenward.
In our striving heavenward we’ll also want to come to the Lord’s Supper on a regular bases and to turn to the Lord in prayer often. We will want to live a life of prayer. Pray that the Holy Spirit not only keeps your faith alive, but also increase it so you don’t become complacent in your faith.
Always keep you mind on the goal and prize as Paul writes; “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Once again the runner in the race is set before us. He must constantly keep the goal and prize before him. Since he wants to reach that goal and win that prize he must keep thinking to himself, “I want the prize. That means I have to give every effort, strive my hardest, draw every bit of strength from my body that I can, keep running harder and harder to reach the goal.”
Just as the runner in a race must keep his eye and mind on that race so it is with you and me as we strive to reach the goal of heaven. We need to be careful we don’t put our focus on worldly things but on God’s Word and heaven. We must focus on the fact we are saved by grace through faith.
The runner in a race can’t be looking at the scenery along the track. He mustn’t be distracted by people or things along the way. If he wants the prize, he must keep running hard toward the right goal. So also we need to be careful so we don’t get distracted from striving heavenward.
Many times Christians get distracted by focusing on things in the Bible that cannot be explained. Granted there are things in the Bible we won’t fully understand until we get to heaven. However, understanding those things is not essential to our faith. The Scriptures are very clear regarding all things we need to know for our salvation.
And so instead of wondering and worrying about things we don’t understand we should be asking what the Bible says about itself, about God, our salvation through Christ and our preservation.
What does the Bible say about the 2 natures of Christ, his humiliation, his exaltation, his conception, virgin birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and sitting at the right hand of God the Father. What does it say about his rule over all things, his abiding presence and his return on the last day?
What does the Bible say about the Holy Christian church and your place in it? What does it say about your life, about prayer and how to be more faithful in prayer? What about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and what it means to you?
How about really getting into those things? How about really knowing those things and living them? These are the central teachings of the Bible that our faith rests on. Don’t get distracted from them or from your Savior by non-essentials.
Let’s also be careful we don’t lose ground. “Let us live up to what we’ve already attained,” Paul wrote. The runner in a race has to be very careful that he doesn’t slip and fall or he’ll lose the prize. So also you and I need to be careful we don’t lose ground in our growth in faith.
We lose ground when we focus on our sins and find joy in them; when we’re focused on the sins of the past or those we’re presently involved in. We need to repent of all of our sins and then put them behind us once and for all. God doesn’t want us to dwell on them.
Instead, we’ll want to focus on growing in our spirituality. Through the power of the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word and Sacraments you and I can grow in our relationship with Christ. That way we won’t lose ground as we strive heavenward.
Next Paul urges us to follow the example of Godly Christians. “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”
Many Christians lose out because they get the attitude that says; “I’m as good a Christian as anyone else.” The focus on comparing themselves to others, instead of focusing on their faith. But, instead of doing this we ought to be saying to ourselves, “I want to be like the most faithful of God’s saints in the Scriptures.”
Look at the people the Bible says are examples of great faith. Imitate their faithfulness in worship, in prayer and in their witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul also gives us a warning of examples not to follow. “As I have often told you before and now say again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.”
Here Paul is talking about people who once were Christians and who thought they still were. Apparently, their saving faith had become mere head knowledge at the very most. Now they were enemies of the cross of Christ and didn’t even know it.
The warning for you and I is don’t follow their example even though it may be very tempting to do so. Their glory isn’t in what God wants, instead it’s in their shame, their sinful actions, their sinful living. Their minds are focused on the here and now. Paul says they can’t win the prize because their destiny is destruction.
Always remember, heaven is your home. Our citizenship is in heaven, the Bible says. Earth isn’t our permanent home. We are just strangers passing through. That’s why we eagerly look forward to reach the goal and receive the prize of eternal life in heaven.
Remember that no matter who you are, no matter how many and how terrible your sins are God forgives you for Jesus sake. Believe that with all your heart. Jesus is the One who has rescued you and I from sin, death and the devil. He is the One who opened the door to heaven for us. He is the one who will hand us the prize. That’s why he says; “Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life. Amen.
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